Sagrestia Vecchia, Renaissance sacristy in Basilica of San Lorenzo, Florence, Italy
The Sagrestia Vecchia is a Renaissance sacristy inside the Basilica of San Lorenzo in Florence, Italy. The room has a square floor plan topped by a dome divided into twelve segments by grey pietra serena ribs against white plastered walls.
Giovanni di Bicci de' Medici commissioned the construction from Filippo Brunelleschi between 1421 and 1440 to create a burial chapel for himself and his wife. The work is considered one of the first completed examples of the early Renaissance and set new standards for later ecclesiastical spaces in the city.
The space displays terracotta medallions in the pendentives depicting the four evangelists and reflecting the liturgical program of the Medici family. Visitors see colored tondi on the walls illustrating scenes from the life of Saint John and showing the connection between religious symbolism and family devotion.
The sacristy is accessible through the left transept of the Basilica of San Lorenzo and can be visited during the church's regular opening hours. Light enters through an oculus in the lantern and allows a good view of the decorative elements on the dome and walls.
The dome displays a star configuration marking a specific date in the 15th century and documenting the connection between architecture and celestial science during the Renaissance. Scholars have developed different theories about the exact date, but the arrangement remains a testament to the astronomical knowledge of the period.
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